French President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared it his 'duty' to push through hugely unpopular reforms to the country's pension system despite nationwide strikes and violent protests.

France is facing another day of chaos today as unions continue their demonstrations against the government's plans.

The powerful CGT union has called for a second day of national strike action on Tuesday, with officials hoping as many as three million people will take to the streets to demonstrate against President Sarkozy's proposals.

Protests across France have turned violent during the last six days, with train passengers and commuters facing huge delays as a result of the ongoing blockade of oil refineries.

Mr Sarkozy remains defiant, however, and announced during a press conference earlier that the blockades 'cannot exist in a democracy' where 'there are people who want to work'.

Protests: Unions hope as many as three million people will take to the streets today to protest against the French Government's plans to reform the country's pension system

Violence: The clashes between demonstrators and police have turned violent in some areas of the country

Clashes: In Lille (pictured) riot police clashed with protesters as high school students began demonstrations

Damage: French president Nicolas Sarkozy has said it his 'duty' to push through the hugely unpopular reforms

On Tuesday half of all flights to
Paris's Orly airport were cancelled and 30 per cent of flights to other
airports were affected.

A number of long-haul flights from the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris have also had to refuel at Manchester due to the shortage in France.

A spokeswoman for Air France said a number of flights had been forced to take off from Paris with insufficient fuel to reach their destination, meaning they had to stop for new supplies en route.

Protests: Millions of people have taken to the streets over the last week to protest against the welfare reforms

US economist Joseph Stiglitz has said
American and British citizens should follow the French example and
stage protests of their own against planned spending cuts

Violence: Police fired tear gas on protesters in Mulhouse and Montbelliard on Monday

Arson: On Tuesday this school in Le Mans burned down, it remains unclear if the incident was related to the protests

On Monday violence broke out across the country, with the police making hundreds of arrests.

In Mulhouse and Montbelliard officers fired teargas at protesters to break up demonstrations.

In the early hours of Tuesday, a school in Le Mans, northwest France, also burned down after an apparent arson attack, according to the Reuters news agency, but it remains unclear if the incident was linked to the protests.

The hugely unpopular pension reform has already been approved by the National Assembly, France’s lower house.

However the crucial vote by the Senate, originally planned for tomorrow, has been delayed until Thursday.

President Sarkozy has warned of a crackdown against 'troublemakers' and said he had a duty to push ahead with the reform

The strikes have caused the closures of hundreds of schools and disruption to flights and the rail network

The crucial vote by the France's Senate on the pension reforms, originally planned for tomorrow, has been delayed until Thursday

Many in France fear a re-run of the May 1968 riots in Paris when thousands took to the streets to try to bring down the government of President Charles de Gaulle.

Appealing for calm, French justice minister Michele Alliot-Marie warned protesters that ‘the right to demonstrate does not mean the right to smash things up'.

Mr Sarkozy, who is meeting German and Russian politicians in the northern seaside town of Deauville today, though remains defiant.

‘The reform is essential and France is committed to it and will go ahead with it just as our German partners did,’ the French president said.

Germany voted in 2007 to lift its retirement age to 63 from 62 by 2029.

Nicolas
Sarkozy (centre), remains committed to his plans. The French President meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Russian
President Dmitri Medvedev (right) earlier today